Natural Selection and Change Over Time Vocabulary

Flashcards about Natural Selection and Change Over Time.

Species

A group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce

Evolution

Process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms

Fossil

Preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past

Adaptation

An inherited behavior or physical characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce

Scientific Theory

A well-tested explanation for a wide range of observations and experimental results

Mechanism

The natural process by which something takes place

Natural Selection

A process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species

Competition

Struggle among living things to get the necessary amount of food, water, and shelter

Fitness

How well an organism can survive and reproduce in an environment

Sexual Selection

Natural selection that acts on an organism’s ability to get the best possible mate

Coevolution

Process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time

Fossil Record

All the fossils that have been discovered and what we have learned from them.

Embryo

A young organism that develops from a fertilized egg.

Homologous Structure

Similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor

Extinct

A species that no longer exists and will never again live on Earth.